Steering stabilizer



7 March 28, 1939. M. B. BRIGGS STEERING STABILIZER Filed May 1'7, 1937 Patented Mar. ,28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE STEERING STAB L ZER Merton B. Briggs, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to I. A. Simon, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application May 17, 1937, Serial No. 143,157

This invention relates to stabilizers for the steering mechanisms of motor vehicles and is an improvement upon the devices shown in the patent to MacLellan, No. 2,08,384, October 20,1936,

5 and the pending application of Hedrick et al.,

Serial No. 87,58Q.

Stabilizers of this type include a cylinder containing, a fluid such as oil and in which is disposed a piston having slots or perforations to permit the retarded passage of fluid through the piston head. By mounting the stabilizer between a fixed element of the vehicle and an element of the steering mechanism, the stabilizer will absorb sudden road shocks which might 15 throw the vehicle out of the control of the driver; the stabilizer does not interfere with normal steering operations, but becomes instantaneously operative when the wheels to which the steering mechanism is attached are subjected to sudden 20 shocks or impacts.

It is necessary that the stabilizer be thoroughly reliable at all times, and the present invention relates to a stabilizer in which leakage of the fluid from the cylinder is efi'ectively prevented,

25 while at the same time, the piston may move to and fro within the cylinder under normal driving conditions. In this manner, once the cylinder is supplied with the requisite amount of working fluid and closed, notwithstanding con- 39 tinual movement of the piston, the fluid supply remains substantially constant.. It is an important feature of the construction that the sealing meansis fixed within the cylinder.

The stabilizer is very simple in construction,

' 36 readily assembled, and'can' be easily applied to any vehicle.

'Referring to the drawing,

Figure 1 is a top elevation illustrating the stabilizer associated with a front axle and tie 40 rod of a vehicle; I

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the stabilizer taken on the-line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation, partly in section, looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3 of Fig- 45 ure 1;

' Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

As explained above, this invention is useful when the stabilizer is employed in connection 50 withasteering mechanism which is associated with a full axle, or where independent wheel suspensions are'employed; In the drawing, I have illustrated for purposes of convenience the stabilizer, applied to a. construction embodying the 55 usual axle and tie rod.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral 8 indicates the front axle of-a vehicle and the numeral 9 the tie rod. The numeral It indicates the stabilizer attached at one end to the spring pad ll of the axle and at its opposite end as shown at l2 to the tie rod. It is preferred'to attach the piston to the tie rod and the cylinder to the fixed part of the vehicle.

Referring to Figure 2, the stabilizer comprises a cylinder l3 adapted to contain a viscous fluid 10 such as oil to be enclosed at its ends by threaded caps I4. The piston rod is indicated at and at one end is threaded as shown at 16. Secured to the threaded end It are a pair of nuts 11 which deflne a recess It in which are disposed 15 the valve'elements IS. The recess I8 is adjusted to a size to permit the valve elements to slide therein to a limited 'extent, and the elements are held apart by means of a coil spring which is disposed in aligned recesses 26 in the 20 elements. Formed in the valveelements are openings 22 havingv flared entrant portions 23 which are arranged in staggered relation to each otheras shown. The valve elements have a close fit with the inner wall of the cylinder 53 5 but are readily slidable therein. The construction just described is similar to that in the Hedrick et al. application above referred to.

At one end, the cylinder is provided with a packing for the piston rod l5, which packing includes a metal plate 24 which is dished centrally as shown at 25- and has an opening 26 for the passage of the piston rod. At its periphery, the plate 26 engages a shoulder 21 on the inner wall of the cylinder whereby the plate is held against'bodily movement inwardly of the cylinder. The packing also includes a metal plate member 28 which is preferably thinner than the plate 24 and has a straight portion 29, a conicalportion 30 and a cylindrical portion 3|. Between the plate members is disposed a suitable packing material 24', which is held in compressed condition. For this purpose, a, collar or ring 32 bears against the inner wall of the adjacent cap II on one edge and at its opposite edge bears against the straight portion 29 of the plate 28 whereby the same is held, against bodily movement outwardly of the cylinder; also, a loose plate 33 is disposed in the cylindrical end 3| of the plate 28 to engage the packing and is maintained under pressure by reason of the spring 34 which, at its opposite end, engages a loose plate 35 which in turn compresses a suitable packing material 36 disposed in a recess 31 in the cap It. Thus, an operating chamber adapted to contain the hydraulic fluid is formed between plate 24 and the sealing means l4 on the opposite end of the cylinder. The plates 33 and 95 and the packing 36 as well as the adjacent cap l4 are each provided with an opening for the passage of the piston rod 19, and it will be observed that the spring 94 is preferably a coil spring surrounding the piston rod. By reason of this construction, the packing is maintainedcompressed at all times while allowing the piston rod I! to move freely under normal steering.

The cap nut adjacent the packing structure just described is provided with an opening 39 in which is threaded a suitable lubricating fitting 39 of the Alemite type whereby lubricant may be supplied to the chamber defined by the cap and the plate 29 for lubricating the piston rod.

Within the packing 24 is disposed a plurality of 'packing'rings 25' surrounding the piston, which are preferably of some relatively harder packing material. The purpose of the spaced rings 25'- is to further prevent the leakage of fluid from the cylinder and to avoid any possibility of grease from the chamber on the other side of the packing from leaking into the cylinder.

The piston rod has a threaded reduced end 44 upon which is threaded a half ball nut 4!. The ball nut 4| is enclosed in a cylindrical housing 42, the inner wall of which is curved as shown at 49 to form a universal or ball and socket connection. The cylinder 42 is closed by a nut 44 having a lubricating fitting 45 and the nut-bears upon'a spring member 46 which is centrally provided with a curvedrecess 41 receiving the curved end 49 of the reduced end) of the piston rod l5. At the opposite end of the cylinder, the ball member 4| is provided with an integral threaded stem 49 engaging in'a threaded opening 99 in the adjacent cap l4.

Eachof the universally mounted housings 42 is provided with an integral, leg 52, and one leg is connected to a flxed part of the vehicle, while the other leg is connected to the steerin mechanism. Thus, in the preferred method of mounting, the leg 52 is connectedto the axle,

or to a fixed part of the frame while the leg 5| which is associated with the piston is connected to the tie rod. When so connected, the openings 22 in the valve elements l9 will pass the fluid freely so that the vehicle may be steered in the usual manner. When a sudden shock or road impact is encountered, the fluid pressure on one or the other faces of the valve elements will cause the same to move intocontact with the other valve element, thereby shutting off the flow of fluid, and this action is so instantaneous due to the staggered relation of the openings and the flared entrant portions thereof on the inner faces of the valve elements, that'the wheels are.

prevented from veering and the steeringof the vehicle is maintained within the control of the driver.

Referring to Figure 3, the leg ii is conical as shown and is held in a tapering boss 53 of a tie rod bracket 54 by means of a nut 55. This, bracket 54 has a saddle 59 in which the tie rod 9 is disposed, and the bracket and tie rod are held together'by means of the yoke 51 extending through opposed openings 59 and 59 in the ,bracket, the free ends of the yoke being held tightly to the bracket by means of nuts 69. It is to be noted, that on that sideiof the bracket having the 58, the opening 59 is of considerable length, and the yoke 51 has a long arm for passage through this elongated opening so that the nut 99 may be readily applied.

. At the cylinder end of the stabilizer, the tapered leg 52 engages in. a tapered opening 6! of a substantially triangular bracket 62 which is bolted to the spring pad i I as at 64. The tapered leg 52 is secured to the bracket by means of the nut 99. In this manner, the stabilizer is connected at the cylinder end to a fixed part of the vehicle and the piston is connected to the steering tie rod 9 or movable part of the steering mechanism.

It is to be understood that the invention herein shown and described is subject to numerous modifications and variations, all/of which are considered to be comprehended within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A steering stabilizer comprising a cylinder, a piston rod movable therein having a piston head including valve means, and a packing through which the piston rod reclprocates disposed within the cylinder and forming an end wall of a working chamber therein, said packing including a layer, of compressible material, a

. ,backing plate, held against bodily movement outwardly of the cylinder and a movable plate on the chamber side thereof and held against bodily movement inwardly of the cylinder, said last named plate 1 being movable when said valve mean: look and are moved in 'the direction of the plate, such movement of the plate being effective to compress and expand the compressible material laterally to seal the chamber.

2. Asteering stabilizer comprising a cylinder, a piston rod movable therein having a piston head including valve means, and a packing through which the pistonrod reciprocates disposed within the cylinder and forming an end wall of a working chamber therein, said packing including a layer of compressible material, a backing plate, held against bodily movement outwardly of the cylinder and a dish-shaped movable plate on the chamber side thereof and held against bodily movement inwardly of the cylinder, said movable plate being moved when said valve means lock and are moved in the direction of the plate, such movement of the plate being effective to compress and expand the compressible material laterally to seal the. chamber about the piston rod.

3. A steering stabilizer comprising a cylinder, a piston 'rod movable therein having a piston head including valve means, and a packing through which the piston rod reciprocates disposed within the cylinder "and forming an end wall with a working chamber therein, said packing including.

and expand the compressible material at the eylinder wall.

4. A steering stabilizer comprising a cylinder, a piston rod movable therein having a piston head including valve means, and a packing through which the piston rod reciprocates disposed within the cylinder and forming an end wall with a working chamber therein, said packing including a layer of compressible material and plate members on opposite sides thereof, one of said members being held against movement outwardly of the cylinder and another of said members being held against bodily movement inwardly of the cylinder and movable with respect to the cylinder wall when said valve means are locked and mov ing in the direction of the members to compress and expand the compressible material about the piston rod.

5. A steering stabilizer comprising a cylinder, a piston rod movable therein having a piston head including valve means, and a packing through the cylinder and forming an end wall with a working chamber therein, said packing including a layerof compressible material and plate members on opposite sides thereof, each of said plate .are locked and moving in the direction of the members to compress the compressible material between the members and expand the material and seal the chamber.

' MERTON B. BRIGGS.

which the piston rod reciprocates disposed within 

